Yesterday, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the proposed rule Medicare and Medicaid Program; Regulatory Provisions to Promote Program Efficiency, Transparency, and Burden Reduction , which "identifies and proposes reforms in Medicare and Medicaidregulations that CMS has identified as unnecessary, obsolete, or excessively burdensome on health care providers and beneficiaries." The proposed rule aims to "increase the ability of healthcare professionals to devote resources to improving patient care, by eliminating or reducing requirements that impede quality patient care or that divert providing high quality patient care.” The proposal also recommends aligning Medicaid's definition of "qualified" physical therapist with Medicare’s definition, which is the position APTA has strenuously urged CMS to adopt over the past year. This would clarify confusion for states that have misinterpreted Medicaid's definition in state directives which has resulted in decreased access to care.

APTA will be submitting comments, which are due 60 days from the October 24 publication date.